Let the Single-Payer Fight Begin: Sanders Rolling Out Plan

posted by Newser Editors -
2 weeks ago

Bernie Sanders rolled out his vision to overhaul the health care system on Wednesday, one in which everybody would get their insurance from the government through Medicare instead of through their jobs or a private insurer. Sanders calls it the Medicare for All Act of 2017, but you'll also hear phrases such as "single payer" and "universal health care" used to describe it. One key part missing: details on how to pay for it, though Sanders plans to release a separate paper on that, reports the Wall Street Journal.

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Coverage:

The basics: Per CNN,everybody gets a "Universal Medicare card," which would be used to cover all health bills, from surgeries to dental care to substance abuse treatment. Co-payments would go away, and people would pay premiums based on their incomes, reports the AP. Private insurers would still exist, but for things such as elective plastic surgery or, sometimes, to act as middlemen between the government and hospitals or doctors.

A 'right': Sanders makes his case in an op-ed in the New York Times. "Guaranteeing health care as a right is important to the American people not just from a moral and financial perspective; it also happens to be what the majority of the American people want."